


She's A Star (Part II) - The Finale

by orphan_account



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-08-23 19:34:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16625132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Part II of She's a Star and the Finale of it. My part I here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8680663/chapters/26920350





	1. Hello Again (Borrower of Hearts)

**Author's Note:**

> https://archiveofourown.org/works/8680663/chapters/26920350 - I am the author of this work. Sorry for leaving, I'm back.

_You came along, thought I had it all…I was so full of love, no need to hurry and I fell so far - so fast and I felt it could not last…so let me borrow your heart my love, and I’ll bring it back to you when I’ve had enough. And then I’ll run away and make my exit fast, because I’m a borrower of hearts, and borrowers never last._ ~ Mahalia, Borrowers 

_I’m sorry for breaking your heart_ ~ Hello, Adele

 

 **Barry** _Where we left off_

Barry rushed over to the bar where Nita sat looking confused. 

“What was that about?” He asked, almost out of breath. Nita looked over Barry. 

“Why are you all wet?” She asked. 

“I - ” He looked down at himself and a memory flashed of Iris with tears streaming down her face, running, heading straight towards him and he was just paralyzed. He hadn’t seen her in person in so long and there she was crying before him. Yet she never looked so beautiful. He didn’t know what to do before she collided with him and split his drink all over him. Then she apologized before running out of the event. 

He knew the direction Iris had been heading from, the bar where Nita and Iris were chatting, and when he last caught a glimpse of them everything seemed fine, so what happened to make Iris cry like that? 

“- well, it doesn’t matter.” He decided to skip explaining that, instead he asked, “What happened with Iris? Wasn’t she having a drink and talking with you?” 

“Spying on us, huh?” Nita smirked, but Barry was not in the mood. And when he didn’t react Annita sobered up and looked at him seriously, then something seemed to click for her. 

“She’s the first real ex isn’t she?” Annita asked softly, realization causing a mix of emotions to play across her face, hurt, confusion, understanding and frustration. 

Barry didn’t know what to say. His eyes shifted. 

Annita shot up with anger. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” She whispered harshly. 

“You didn’t say anything all these years, Barry! All these freaking years and you wouldn’t tell me the Iris West I adored was the girl who broke your heart?! I talked about her so many times.”

“I didn’t want you to hate her.” Barry admitted, still unable to look at her. 

“Well, you got what you wanted. I don’t hate her. But you know what I do hate though, Barry? Being lied to! Not being let in! I almost fell in love with you! But I knew you could never love me because I could tell. I could tell you were hiding something from me. Wow, I’m such a fool. I literally was trying to set you up with your ex.” 

“Wait, Nita -” Barry tried to reach out and grab his friend but Annita pulled her hand out of his reach. 

“Don’t call me that anymore.” She replied bitterly as she then took her to leave, going to mingle with the crowd. 

***

 **Iris** _Back at her hotel room that same night_

Iris tried to call Nita several times but it did not go through. It seemed like she turned off her phone. She didn’t know what to do because she truly felt horrible for crying and then just leaving abruptly like that. She felt Nita deserved an apology. So did Barry, she didn’t even say hi to him. 

After pacing for a while in her room, she left to go to the hotel lobby. She walked to the concierge. 

“Yes Ms. West, how may we help you?” The receptionist asked. 

“Hi, Tom. Could I ask for a favor?” 

“Anything Ms. West.”

“First, please stop calling me that. Iris is fine.” She grinned at him. He smiled and blushed slightly before nodding. 

“Alright, Iris, what can we do for you?” He asked. 

“I was wondering if you could let me know the room number of Barry Allen and his partner Annita Remmings?”

The man looked taken aback. 

“Okay - I'm not sure there’s anything denying me from doing that, but I do have to ask - what for?” 

“No reason. Just wanted to say hi, I was at their fundraiser earlier tonight and make a fool of myself.” Iris said honestly. 

“Okay then.” 

The man proceeded to tell her their room number but stopped half-way looking at someone behind Iris. Iris felt her pulse quicken, who was it?

She turned around slowly to see a tall, brown-haired, hazel-grey eyed man before her. The love of her life. Barry Henry Allen. 

Her voice left her as she just stared at him, her lips parted slightly. 

He stared at her, but he looked far away. He took a deep breath and then looked past her. That hurt. 

He walked up to where she was standing but he wasn’t looking at her, next to her save a few inches, but he didn’t even acknowledge her. 

“Hey, strange request, but I’d like to get another hotel room.”

The man now was extremely entertained. 

“Really? Ms - I mean Iris, was just asking to find your room.” He answered Barry, gesturing to Iris. 

Barry didn’t react. 

“Could I just get another room please?” He asked. The man nodded. 

“Sure, no problem. Would you like another suite or a -”

“Just a normal single bedroom please.” Barry tapped his fingers on the counter. He smelled so good, a mixture of rustic and floral scent. Iris turned to look at his profile as Tom typed away on the computer registering Barry for a new room. He clenched his teeth and she watched his jaw flex. She felt stirrings in her she hasn’t felt in years, three years to be exact. 

“Barry.” She whispered. She couldn’t believe she managed to say it, his name. Her voice was foreign even to her. She sounded hoarse, probably from all her crying. 

She noticed he shifted slightly at the sound of his name but he didn’t turn to look at her. 

“Okay then, you’re all set now, Barry!” Tom said as he handed Barry his new key-card. 

Barry grabbed it and was about to walk away when Iris reached out just in time and grabbed onto his jacket. 

He turned to look at her and she could see the pain in his eyes. 

“You should let me go.” Barry told her. With a blink she could see the tears in his eyes and she felt like running, but she didn’t. 

“No.” She found herself saying and she didn’t even know why. Her hand slid from his arm to his hand. She held onto it. 

“Iris.” He breathed closing his eyes. She took a step closer to him. 

His eyes shot back open. 

“Iris, let me go.” He said. 

“I don’t want to.” Her voice quivered slightly. “Can I come up with you?”

“Annita just kicked me out of our suite because I didn’t want to tell her about you. She thinks that I didn’t want to talk about you.” Barry chuckled sarcastically before continuing, 

“The reality is that I _couldn’t_ talk about you. If I did I wouldn’t be able to do all I did. You wanted me to live my life, and I did. You can’t just come back whenever you feel like it Iris. You made a choice. Now we’ve both got to live with it.”

His words cut through Iris like a knife and she let go of him. 

“Have a good night.” He told her before turning and walking away. 

Iris stood there, tears again reaching her eyes. It seemed like she couldn’t run away from her tears these days. 

“Uh, Iris, do you still want to know their room number? Or his?”

Iris turned around to see Tom, looking like he cared. 

She smiled slightly wiping away a tear, 

“Could I have both?” She replied shrugging. 

***

 **Annita** _After Barry collected his stuff and moved rooms_

She sat on the suite’s living room chair and pulled a thick blanket around herself. She didn’t know how to forgive Barry. How to let it go. And a part of her didn’t know why. It didn’t add up when she thought about it. Why did she take it so personally? 

All she knew was that she hated being lied to. She was lied to a lot of her life. Her parents lied to her by not telling her till she was a teenager that she was adopted, she was lied to that she couldn’t ice skate because she wasn’t good in middle school and ended up missing tons of hours of practice she could’ve had. Until one day she was ice skating for fun when a teacher told her that she was good. She was lied to so much by men, one after the other, but Barry was different. Barry was the best man she’s ever met. 

But he lied to her. 

Well, not directly, but he omitted important information. He omitted information which determined how she would view Iris. Which made her a fool. Which kept a huge part of himself from her. She could always tell he was carrying some sort of sadness, and he was still dancing for _her_ , but she didn’t know who she was. And all those times Annita mentioned Iris. All those times he just swallowed the pain. She hated that, she hated that she contributed to that. She could’ve helped him heal had she known. 

Annita wrapped herself further in the blanket, not knowing how she was going to continue working with Barry after this. 

She was almost drifting off to sleep when she heard a knock on the door. 

It was faint but she heard it. It was so late, it couldn’t be room service. 

Was it Barry?

She sighed, she hoped not. Still, she got up and opened the door slightly, she was surprised to see Iris. 

She somewhat reluctantly opened the door. 

“What is it?” She asked as Iris walked in, closing the door behind herself. 

Iris wasted no time,

“You know she’s me. I’m her. I’m the one who broke his heart.” Iris started. 

Annita frowned. 

“Yes, I know.”

“I’m so sorry, Annita.” 

“Why are you apologizing to me? I don’t need your pity.”

“I’m sorry that I’m not who you wanted me to be. I’m sorry that you thought I was this amazing person. I’m sorry that I disappointed you. I’m not perfect. I’m not the Iris West who’s on the billboards and in those interviews. I’m a broken person who faced years of controlling and manipulative behavior thinking it was just a dysfunctional relationship. I lost my dad when I felt I needed him the most. I had a distant mother growing up. I am _not_ perfect.” 

Annita was shocked to hear all this information at once. 

“But I want you to know something,” Iris said her voice shaking a bit. “I want you to know that I loved - no, I _love_ him with everything inside of me. I love that man so much, so I know you do too.”

Annita’s eyes widened. 

“What?” She asked. 

“I don’t think you’ve fully realized it yet, but you’re in love with Barry Allen. And I want you to know that I would leave and let you and him be together if I wasn’t so damn in love with him too. I can’t let him go this time Annita, I screwed up. I want him to be happy so if he wants to be with you, I will let it happen, but I am not going to go without a fight.” 

Annita took in a breath out of shock. 

Iris continued, 

“I need you to know this because you’ve hurt him and I can’t stand it. I want to fix my mess, and I don’t want you to have the same regret. I know he should’ve told you about me, but put yourself in his shoes. He probably didn’t know how. I know I didn’t. I told my friends not to tell me anything about him, and they didn’t for years. I only found out he was dancing with you recently.” 

Iris took a deep breath, 

“You told me earlier tonight that you could tell ‘he was still in love with her’ is that true? Is what you said true?”

Annita was speechless, but she nodded. 

“I really like you Annita, and I’m sorry. I know there’s someone amazing out there who’s going to be your forever kind of love. But I love Barry Allen and I don’t want to let him go ever again. Is that okay with you?”

There were a couple of moments of ghastly silence before Annita finally spoke, 

“Okay.” She breathed, tears falling from her eyes. Iris quickly went and wrapped Annita in a hug. And Annita cried on her shoulder. 

She knew she could never win over the girl that broke his heart, she just never knew that girl would be someone she admired so much. After a long hug, Annita let Iris go. 

“I’m sorry too. I just hate being lied to. And don’t worry, I do love Barry but it’s not that deep for me, I’ll get over him.” She told her. 

Iris gave her a sad smile. 

“I can see why Barry loves you. He was so hurt! You can’t be hurting him like that again.” Iris joked. 

Annita laughed. 

“I won’t if you won’t.” She said. Iris shook her head and winced. “Too soon?” Annita asked. 

Iris nodded. 

“Alrighty, I should let you go.” Annita said. 

“Thank you, Nita.” Iris told her and after giving her one more hug, she left. 

Annita sat down with all the shock in the world with everything Iris revealed. 

“Wow.” She breathed. 

***

 **Barry** _The next day late in the afternoon_

He woke up a mess, dishevelled hair and baggy eyes. He could hardly get any sleep. He kept thinking about Iris holding onto him. The look of determination in her eyes. The look of affection, of love. He remembered her touch on his hand. How she smelt of coconut and vanilla, the hurt on her face when he said what he said. Why did he say that? He didn’t know. Or did he?

It was all his pain spilling out. 

Annita kicked him out, and Iris was back in his life. 

After all those years she just decided to just show up? After no communication for years, she’s supposed to come to his fundraising party and just like that he was supposed to just let her back in his life? After missing her desperately for years? After wondering what he could’ve done to change her mind? After coming to terms with the fact that he loved her more than anyone else and he wasn’t going to get to be with her? And then going back on that and feeling like he needed her and he would find a way to be with her again? After all those emotions and ups and downs and nights of searching about her and then feeling ridiculous after watching hours of her interviews? After all that? 

He was so lost in her. She had his heart. His whole heart and he couldn’t - he just couldn’t give it to anyone else. It was hers. It would always be hers. 

But it seemed like she was a borrower of hearts, she took his heart and then handed it back to him. She didn’t let him fully in. She didn’t let him know everything she’d been through with Scott. She didn’t let him be there for her and ease her worries. She pushed him away. She ran away. 

He couldn’t let that happen again. He couldn’t take getting his heart broken by Iris West twice. He wouldn’t survive it. 

His room-bell rang. 

“Room service!” A strangers voice called out. 

He sighed and slipped out of his bed. He headed to the door and opened it. 

When he saw who was at the door he couldn’t move. 

Iris made her way in his room and thanked the hotel staff before handing them a tip. The hotel staff then closed his door. 

Barry still hadn’t moved. 

“Hello, again.” Iris smiled softly. 

“What - I thought - you - isn’t today your last day in Paris?” Barry asked, still stunned that she was actually in his room and also a bit groggy from just getting up. 

“It is. I just missed my flight.”

Barry raised his eyebrows in shock. 

“You’ve got a tight deadline, why would you do that?”

“Because, I am in love with you.”

Barry chuckled lifelessly. 

“Alright Iris, you’ve had your fun.” He recalled when he went to Iris’ apartment back in the States and basically said the exact same thing, in the same way. 

“Barry I really messed up. I’m really messed up. Messed up people, mess shit up.”

Barry looked at her confused. 

“I’m sorry that I broke us up. I was wrong for that. I’m sorry it took me so long to come to my senses. I wanted you to live your life, and I didn’t want to hold you back, but really and truly I was just scared. I was terrified. I had just come from such a horrible relationship, that didn’t start out that bad. You are everything I could ever want and I didn’t want to lose you. I was afraid I would be the one to mess up, because you’re so, well, you. You would never be the one to mess things up. I didn’t want to hurt you, so I hurt you.”

Barry couldn’t say a word. Iris took a step closer to Barry, her eyes shining. 

“Bartholomew Henry Allen, I am so in love with you. And if you need time, I can wait. If you need space, I’m on the next flight. If you don’t feel the same, I’ll understand. But I need you to know that I couldn’t stop thinking about you even when I stopped speaking about you. You were always there, on my mind, in my heart. I would remember us, our moments, the things you said. I don’t want to do this without you Barry, any of it.”

After a few moments of staring into Iris’ eyes, Barry smiled softly. 

With hope swimming in his eyes, 

“Hello, again.” He said.


	2. Let's Burn The Bridges

I wanna watch all my bridges burn  
Stand in the rain 'til the page is turned  
Dance in the light of a lesson learned, lesson learned  
I wanna leave everything that hurts  
Never go back to the way we were  
Set it on fire, baby, watch it burn, watch it burn…

'Cause we're gonna finish this ~ Bridges Burn, NEEDTOBREATHE 

 

 **Iris** _Where we left off_

She held her breath as she watched Barry’s small smile widen. It had been so long since she’s seen that smile of his. 

She returned it, grinning fully at him. And the two of them just stood there for a moment, a couple of feet apart from each other, smiling, grinning. Basking in each others presence. She released her breath in that moment and truly felt like she could breathe. It was like all these years she’s been holding her breath not knowing how to let go of all her memories with Barry and yet not being able to face them, or him. 

Now he was standing before her and she could finally let everything go. And she really wanted to make sure that they let everything go. That everything was put in the past and not to come encroaching back. She needed to tell Barry everything about the ways Scott messed with her mind and affected her. She needed to tell Barry her fears, she needed Barry to understand - 

“Iris.” His voice broke through her thoughts. Oh how she missed the way he said her name. She felt butterflies just at the sound of her name in his voice. 

“Yes?” She answered breathlessly. He wasn’t smiling anymore but had a serious and inquisitive look on his face, he wanted to say something important. 

“So you’re in love with me, but what does that mean?” He asked. 

Then he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He turned away from her, looked at the other side of the room for a moment, then turned back to her and said firmly, 

“I’m not going to just be your friend or lover this time.” 

Iris nodded. 

“I need to know what you really want, Iris. You need to tell me, cause I can’t lose you again.” 

Iris winced at that. She could hear the pain and fear in his voice, the hurt.

She took a deep breath, 

“I just want to be with you. I don’t care about the details, you decide the details.” She told him. 

Barry raised an eyebrow and gave Iris a ‘forreal?’ glance making her laugh a little. 

“Alright, first of all, we need to talk about why you pushed me away.” Barry told her. 

Iris nodded in agreement. 

“Then, you need to get on the very next flight so you don’t completely ruin your tour schedule,” Barry told her. He then proceeded to distract her completely by removing his shirt, looking through his luggage for a moment and then pulling out a new one and putting it on. 

Iris tried not to stare, but she definitely caught more defined muscles, when did he get that fit?! She figured ice skating helped with that. She swallowed nervously until what he said really rang through her. 

“Wait, what?” She asked, walking up to him as he was zipping up his luggage.

“You have a tour to finish.” He replied simply. 

“Yeah, but I could cancel-”

“And I still have to finish the next round of competitions with Annita.” 

“O-oh.” Iris was shocked. For some reason it never dawned on her to care about their responsibilities, she was picturing something more like Barry and her would start making out and suddenly be dating and not have a care in the world. However, that wasn’t real life. 

“So, what do you want us to be?” Iris asked him nervously, she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so exposed, so vulnerable. 

"We still need to have that talk first. Then, I guess we’ll see. We’ll have to check our schedules and plan our first date.”

Now it was Iris’ turn to raise an eyebrow, 

“Our _first_ date?” She asked him.

He grinned at her. 

“Our first date. I don’t think we really ever had a proper first date.”

“Yeah, we kinda just dove into it after you came to my apartment and confessed love for me.” 

Barry laughed. 

“Did you expect a repeat?” He joked. 

Iris didn’t know where this Barry came from! She shook her head at him, she couldn’t believe him.

“So, you want us to start over?” Iris asked him seriously after a moment. 

Barry sighed.

“I want to be with you more than anything in the world Iris. But I think because we moved so fast the last time, you didn’t take our relationship or me seriously enough. I think you saw me as a fragile piece of a person who would break and flee if things got too hard. You thought I couldn’t handle if you were famous, well now we’re both kinda famous - although you’re a complete star -” 

He paused to letting the compliment settle in, she smiled up at him. Then he continued, 

“You thought I wanted to be a teacher all my life and I was a manager only because I loved you. And that’s sort of true, but I really do enjoy planning events. I love teaching too, but I don’t have to do only one thing my entire life.” 

Iris nodded yet again as Barry took a step closer to her and she couldn’t utter a word, looking into his eyes. 

He went on, 

“I don’t have to make decisions based on the people I care about or on love, but if I did, that would still be my decision. And I would be able to handle everything that comes my way. You said you were scared you would hurt me? But you didn’t even give me a chance. You didn’t give me a chance to get hurt normally, like by a fight, or by touring drama, instead, you hurt me in one of the worst ways possible. By leaving me.”

Iris swallowed, tears forming in her eyes. He took another step closer, entering her space. His hands went to her face and he wiped away a tear that escaped. He placed both hands on the sides of her face and smiled gently at her. 

“The only way this can work Iris, is if we are on the same page. We take this seriously. We date intentionally. We do those couple things couples do.”

Iris laughed at that. 

“Oh yeah?” She whispered. 

“Yeah!” 

“What are these couple things?” She asked. 

“Supermarket shopping, movies, walking down streets, fun dates, dancing, oh - and being completely honest with each other about past relationships, problems and hurts.” 

Iris was caught a little off guard with the last one but she breathed a “Yeah,” in agreement. 

“So,” He looked at her face lovingly. “You won’t miss your flight?” 

Iris nodded, she placed her hands on his over her face. 

“Let’s date.” She said. 

Barry tenderly leaned down and placed a soft and gentle kiss on Iris’ lips, it was quick and chaste, but it was electricity and heat all the same. 

She let out a breath of shock and stared at him in awe. 

She chased after his lips and gave him her own tender kiss, which lasted a little longer as he kissed her back, but then he pulled away a bit and they both just looked at each other heavy breathing, smiles breaking through. 

“Call me when you land?” Barry asked her. His hands travelling down from her face to her shoulders. 

Iris nodded, she was still speechless from the kiss. 

“Okay, I’ve got to talk to Annita.” Barry said and then Iris came back to earth. 

“Oh! Annita, yes. Yeah, you should do that.”

Barry looked suspiciously at Iris. 

“Did you talk to her?”

“I did.” 

“Iris, why?” She could hear the annoyance in his voice. 

“Because I’m -”

“Don’t say in love with you,” Barry rolled his eyes as a joke and Iris removed his hands from her arm. 

“Well, if you’re going to be like this I might as well leave now.” She told him heading for the door, 

“Wait, wait wait - okay sorry, tell me why though.” Barry asked as he caught up with her. She turned towards him and sighed. 

“Because she really cares about you and I had to talk to her as someone who cares about you too. I had to make sure that she could also forgive me. Because she’s a part of your life now and I want to be as well and I wanted us to be able to get along. Plus I like her. You have good taste in friends.” Iris pouted at that last point making Barry laugh. 

“Alright, thanks.” Barry told Iris with a smile. 

“Okay, so I’m really leaving now.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

But Iris didn’t move and neither did Barry. Leaving him was going to be agonizing. Especially since they were just seeing each other again after years. 

“Barry?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I have another kiss?” Iris asked. Barry grinned and nodded. He gave her a soft yet passionate kiss, and Iris returned it with fever until they separated slowly resting their foreheads against each other breathing heavily. 

“I don’t want to go.” Iris told him honestly, she couldn’t remember when she had been so honest. 

“I don’t want you to go.” Barry replied. 

“I’m gonna go now.” 

Barry nodded. 

But instead her face ended up against his chest and her arms around him as his went around hers and they hugged for five minutes straight. Just enjoying each others presence. 

Then after that, reluctantly, Iris left.

***

**Barry** _A little while after_

Barry brushed his teeth really quickly and sprayed some cologne on. He and Annita had a plane to catch as well because they still had another round of competitions in the States. He didn’t want to be the one to break their schedule and especially not after Annita was already upset with him for not telling her about who Iris was to him. After packing up everything and leaving he went back to his original hotel room - or suite rather - and timidly knocked on the door. 

It opened quickly and Annita stared at him wide-eyed but a little sad. He smiled at her. 

“Hey.” He said. 

“Hi.”

“How are you?” He asked her.

“Come on in.” She replied. 

Barry entered the suite and placed his luggage off to the side and then gave Annita a hug, surprisingly to him, she hugged him back but then quickly let go.

“Why are you even here? Iris seemed like a woman ready to profess her love last night. Did she not do that?”

Barry blushed a bit. 

“She did do that, this morning.”

Annita’s mouth hung open in shock. 

“Then what on earth are you doing here?! She just swung by to tell me she was leaving! You need to go! Go catch her!” Annita was basically pushing Barry out of the suite again and Barry was cracking up laughing as he tried to get his words out and stop her. 

“Annita - wait! No -” He laughed. “She and I, we’re together. We’re together, it’s okay.”

“What?” He could tell Annita was confused. 

“We’re going to have our first date soon!” Barry felt giddy, he was grinning like a kid who got his first bicycle. 

“You’ve lost me completely. How is it that you’re here in his hotel room when you are back with the love of your life and the woman of your dreams, and the woman you were skating for in the first place?”

“I don’t want us to rush into things this time.” He told her honestly. 

And then understanding dawned on Annita. 

“Oh.” She said. 

“We’ve got a flight to catch in a couple of hours and we have to plan our schedule for practice when we get back to Central City.” He told her. 

Annita looked away from him.

“Are you - are you sure you want to keep ice skating with me? You don’t have to you know.”

“I want to.” He told her seriously and she looked up at him in surprise. 

“For how long?” She asked.

“Till we finish our next round of competitions and you find a suitable replacement for me. Oh, and I need to meet all the guys and make sure you have the right one.” He told her. 

“Alrighty.” Annita said shrugging. 

“And you didn’t ask me why I wanted to keep skating with you.” Barry said sounding disappointed. Annita sighed, 

“Fine, why?” She asked. 

“Because Annita Remmings, you’re an amazing ice skater, person and friend. And I would never want to betray you or your trust. We made a promise to finish those competitions together, and I will hold up my end of that promise. Sorry I didn’t tell you about Iris. I would have if I could’ve. I wanted to hold it together so we could skate the way we did otherwise -”

Annita cut him off by nodding, 

“Yeah, I get it now. I get it.”

Barry smiled at her and the two of them shared another hug. 

Then Annita smiled as well. 

“Barry, you’re an amazing guy. I kind of basically was in love with you this whole time and didn’t even realize it - like even after we knew it wasn’t going to work with us, I still loved you. But I don’t think I could ever love you as much as Iris does. I just don’t know if I’ll ever find anyone like you again.” She sighed. 

Barry shook his head.

“I’m not perfect, Annita. And you deserve someone who loves you for everything you are and more. That guy, would be perfect _for you_ , and you’ll find him eventually.”

Annita nodded. 

Then she smiled at him and said, 

“Alrighty then enough small talk, let’s get to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Iris still got stuff to talk through. Important note: Iris isn't the only one who made mistakes in this situation between her and Barry, Barry made mistakes too, in that he didn't want to wait. So now he's rectifying that mistake by taking it slower. More of that will be explored in the next chapter. So excited for the ending of the story and hope ya'll love it!


	3. Fly With Me (If You Ever)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter coming up! Grab some hot chocolate, cookies, snacks, and enjoy. :)

Step out into the sun  
Skies above they radiate me  
Lift up, carry the love  
Do you know?

That I've been out of my mind  
This slow life I'm waiting for you  
To swing me all of your light  
Do you know? - Without You, Oh Wonder 

I've been through the same things so I know your pain  
Can tell that we're both a little scared  
But now we moving on out here… 

Baby, I could show you something better  
Show you something better  
Maybe we could be forever  
Even through the stormy weather, stormy weather clouds  
I promise you I'll never give up  
On us, for what  
Would you like to go, like to go with me?  
Yeah, yeah  
Would you like to go with me? Yeah - If You Ever, NAO ft. 6lack

__

**Barry** _A month later_

__He waited impatiently, pacing up and down as he watched family after family reunite or couples kiss each other hello. He checked his watch again._ _

__“I can’t believe her flight got delayed.” He mumbled to himself making Annita chuckle beside him._ _

__He turned to look at her in annoyance,_ _

__“Really?” He asked as she unsympathetically continued to laugh._ _

__“You’ve said that like ten times now. You knew her flight was delayed but you still made us come like thirty minutes early _just in case_ ,” Nita rolled her eyes. “This is the first and last time I am waiting for anyone with you at the airport. You’ve also been walking back and forth non-stop. Relax, she’ll be here.” _ _

__Barry frowned at Nita’s nonchalance as he finally stilled himself and watched as more passengers arrived at the Central City airport walking past the arrival lane and to the main area of the airport. Many waited for their loved ones along this lane and some held up signs. Barry had flowers, but a few petals already flew off with his rampant pacing. He squeezed onto the flowers and was about to start pacing again when suddenly Iris’ beautiful face appeared behind someone, and before he knew it he was rushing towards her and she was dodging people to rush towards him as well, and the two of them collided with a forceful hug where Barry ended up lifting Iris off the ground and her legs swung around his waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. He kissed her back and then set her gently on the floor, neither of them breaking eye contact._ _

__“Barr.” Iris sighed, and he grinned at her. How he missed her. How he loved hearing that on her lips. He kissed her again._ _

__“Iris.” He replied. Iris then finally released eye contact to look behind him and started laughing uncontrollably._ _

__Barry looked confused,_ _

__“What?”_ _

__“Did you get me flowers?” She asked._ _

__He then turned around and internally groaned, as he was running towards Iris the flowers he bought slipped out of his hands and fell on the floor. And they were fresh flowers too._ _

__“Sorry.” He muttered and Iris giggled some more._ _

__“It’s okay. They still look beautiful - oh my goodness! Nita!” Iris let go of Barry and ran towards Annita and the two women embraced warmly. Barry smiled at the sight and took that opportunity to grab the flowers off the floor before joining Iris and Annita._ _

__“Barry didn’t tell me you were gonna be here too.” Iris said to Nita._ _

__“Yeah, we wanted it to be a surprise.” She smiled._ _

__“That’s so sweet of you!” Iris grinned at both of them._ _

__Annita grinned,_ _

__“No biggie, but I will say there’s no guarantee this is going to happen again because this man right here made us come early knowing your plane was late, and was pacing up and down like crazy the whole time. The. whole. time.” She emphasized and then laughed._ _

__“Barry Allen!” Iris fake scolded. Barry grinned sheepishly._ _

__“I was a little excited.” He admitted._ _

__Iris and Nita laughed._ _

__“Why don’t we all grab some Big Belly?” Barry asked them._ _

__“Yeah! I am craving some good ole Big Belly Burger!” Iris exclaimed._ _

__“I’m down.” Nita agreed._ _

__The three of them left chatting and catching up on Iris’ European tour._ _

__***_ _

**Iris + Third Pov** _Later that night_

__This felt new._ _

__She felt different like this was her first relationship like Barry was her first crush back in High School. Everything was exciting. When he took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers she felt the butterflies spreading through. When he gave her all his attention, held the door open, and sat next to her in Big Belly Burger. When he reached his arm around her shoulders. And of course, she couldn’t forget their reunion. How she jumped on him. She couldn’t stop thinking about him as she was finishing up her tour._ _

__They talked every night. Since they knew they couldn’t have their first date until her tour was officially over, they made the most of video calls and phone calls and Whatsapp, Viber, iMessage, FaceTime, GoogleDuo and anything else that made it possible for them to communicate. They couldn’t get enough. And then now, it really felt like starting over and Iris was excited about the journey._ _

__“So, I kind of organized something.” Barry said, sounding a little nervous. Iris raised a brow at him._ _

__“Did you?” She asked._ _

__“Yeah.”_ _

__Just a moment later, Iris heard an unforgettable voice,_ _

__“I see you have a new best friend now!”_ _

__Iris screamed and jumped out of the booth, basically pushing Barry out the way to go and hug her bestie Linda Park-West._ _

__“You know no one could ever replace you!” Iris said hugging her friend tightly. Linda laughed._ _

__“Not too tightly now.” Linda joked. Iris let go of her friend and gave her a suspicious and quizzical look._ _

__“You’re not pregnant, are you?” She asked._ _

__Linda broke a grin._ _

__Iris screamed again._ _

__“You’re pregnant!”_ _

__Linda nodded shyly, with a smile._ _

__“No fucking way! - Oh, sorry I mean no freaking way! I promise to always take care of you - little angel in Linda’s belly.” Iris said to Linda’s stomach. Linda laughed again. Iris then turned to her brother who was grinning watching the whole interaction._ _

__Iris felt happy tears in her eyes._ _

__“Wally you’re gonna be a dad!” She said Wally grinned wider as she pulled him into a hug. After the hug, she told him,_ _

__“You’re gonna be a great dad.”_ _

__“I learned from the best.” Wally said and Iris grinned. Her father really was the best. And his legacy would live on._ _

__Iris felt so much joy._ _

__And it wasn’t over._ _

__Her mother suddenly walked into the Big Belly Burger. And that’s when Iris realized this was set-up, and that’s why Belly Burger was so empty at 7 pm in the evening - when it normally would be packed. She took a moment to go back to where Barry was and gave him a kiss._ _

__She whispered in his ear._ _

__“Best first date, ever.”_ _

__Barry grinned up at her, and in her heart, she knew he had more prepared._ _

__She then turned back to those coming in after her mom Cisco, Caitlin and even Cynthia!_ _

__She went and gave her mother a big hug. Out of everything that happened with Scott and getting with Barry one of the best things to happen to her was being blessed to grow closer to her mom. Her mother was now someone she could confide in about everything._ _

__As they hugged Francine asked Iris,_ _

__“You’re not letting him go this time, right?”_ _

__“Never.” She replied._ _

__Francine smiled and gave Iris a kiss on her cheek. Iris then went and hugged Cisco, Caitlin and Cynthia._ _

__She turned again to Cisco,_ _

__“Thank you, for everything.” She said sincerely. Cisco nodded with a genuine smile._ _

__“Thanksgiving is around the corner, so I snuck some food in my bag.” Francine said._ _

__Everyone cheered._ _

__“That’s okay right Barry? Big Belly doesn’t mind?”_ _

__“They shouldn’t, I bought out the night.” Barry admitted._ _

__There was a moment of silence as they were all a little shocked._ _

__They then got creative and pulled two tables together as Francine brought out the Tupperware and containers and the paper plates._ _

__There was chatter, laughter and conversation. Linda told everyone she’s pregnant and she and Wally got lots of congratulations on their new addition. Barry and Iris confirmed their relationship and Barry introduced Annita to the group._ _

__“I’ve been watching you because of Barry and I just wanna say on behalf of all of us who know you, you’re an incredible skater.” Linda told her._ _

__Annita grinned._ _

__“Thank you so much. That’s an honor coming from you. I watched you on the sports network all the time. You’re a great reporter.” She replied._ _

__Linda turned to Iris,_ _

__“I like her a lot.”_ _

__And Iris laughed._ _

__Iris then turned to Cisco,_ _

__“Congrats on the expansion with Skip!”_ _

__“Thanks, I think it made sense that he would break away and start a minor label. Never knew we would have an overflow of artists signing with us. And this new one Harrison Wells is already a handful for me.”_ _

__Barry started chuckling._ _

__“Gotta tell you more about that later.” He told Iris, his arm around her shoulder._ _

__Turns out Harrison was a new alternative folk singer who had a lot of demands and drove Cisco crazy yet the two of them seemed to be good friends at the same time. Cisco was so busy with his label he still wasn’t in a relationship though there was tension between him and Cynthia. Caitlin was starting her own health therapy business for artists. Cynthia’s business was turning out to be a multi-million dollar enterprise. Everyone seemed to be doing well._ _

__Iris was glad._ _

__By the end of the night, Iris’ heart and stomach were full._ _

__But it wasn’t over. Everyone left and it was just the two of them left. Barry smiled at her with that mischievous gleam in his eyes as suddenly he pulled out his phone and a speaker and started playing a song. It was the song Iris sang on her first show that Barry organized for her, when he had just become her manager ‘Shore’._ _

_Stop being mysterious_

_Tell me what you want_

_Oh, give me something…_

__As the song played, Barry took Iris’ hand gently and led her to a space in the restaurant and pulled her into a slow dance._ _

__Iris looked up into his eyes as they gently swayed to the music._ _

_Cause I want something real_

_These days, it's hard to feel_

_And when you call, I cannonball, dive in too deep_

_Oh, can't you see that I want something more_

_Than words that hit the wall?_

_I think I'm ready, so rock me steady to your shore_

_Na na na na na na na  
Na na na na na na na_

__“I fell in love with you so quick I don’t even know when it happened.” Barry told Iris and she drew closer to him, her arms around his torso as they stepped to the music. She rested her head on his chest._ _

__“Me too.” She replied._ _

__“Thank you for coming back.” He whispered kissing her forehead._ _

__She held her breath._ _

__“Thank you for letting me.” She replied._ _

__“I’m glad we had those calls. I’m so sorry for what you went through.”_ _

__“It wasn’t your fault. And, I appreciate you listening to me crying on the phone. Thanks for being there. Thanks for understanding why I ran. I know I won’t ever again though.”_ _

__“How do you know?” He asked, looking into her eyes. Iris could hear the slight insecurity in his voice and see it in his eyes._ _

__“Because this time I know what it’s like to be without you.”_ _

_Oh, can't you see that I want something more_

_Than words that hit the wall?_

_I think I'm ready, so rock me steady to your shore_

_Na na na na na na na  
Na na na na na na na_

__Barry and Iris stared at each other for a moment with deep longing before Barry held her face in his hands and kissed her feverishly, she savored every moment of it as his tongue broke through and tangled with hers._ _

__She wrapped her arms around his neck as she got on her tiptoes to better access his lips, they danced both with their bodies and their lips and Iris groaned in frustration as Barry pulled apart but he only did for a moment to walk Iris over to a table, where Iris sat upon, he slipped perfectly between her legs and their kissing continued - a passionate, missed, longed desired, cherishing each others taste, kind of kissing. Iris’ hands slipped under Barry’s shirt as Barry shrugged off his coat._ _

__They were so enthralled with each other they didn’t notice the music ended. Then suddenly someone cleared their throat but Barry and Iris didn’t ever hear that, their heavy breathing and soft moans distracted them until the person cleared their throat louder._ _

__They broke apart suddenly, surprised anyone was there._ _

__“Y-yes?” Barry asked turning around to face the manager._ _

__“Sorry to uh, break this up, but we’re closing for tonight, that includes private parties.”_ _

__The man said. “Oh right, sorry about that. Um-” Barry picked his jacket back up and pulled it on._ _

__“We’ll be right out.” He said._ _

__Once the manager left, Barry and Iris started cracking up laughing. They packed up the rest of their things and left._ _

__***_ _

**Barry+ Third Pov** _At Iris’ front door_

__“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” Iris looked at him confused._ _

__Barry blushed. After their heated make-out session he didn’t want to do anything _other_ than come in. He would stay over, and then never leave. Stay the entire weekend if he could. _ _

__However, this time he wanted something different for them. He wanted them to try to wait. To make it more special, meaningful. To make it something they did when they were both fully committed. Because he knew that if he went in there tonight they would sleep together, and if they did, he wouldn’t want to leave. Then he’d essentially already be moving in. They couldn’t do that again._ _

__“Yeah.” He said…or lied._ _

__“Really? I’ll be thinking of you.” It was the _way_ Iris said that that had him almost buckle his knees. He sighed shakily. _ _

__“I want to.” He admitted quickly._ _

__“Then why don’t you? You can you know.”_ _

__“I want us to take it slow this time.”_ _

__“That includes…?” Iris sounded shocked and Barry laughed._ _

__“Yeah, it does.”_ _

__“Ooookay.” Iris looked at him skeptically. He smiled._ _

__“Let’s make it special. We haven’t seen each other in a month, we just got back together, we miss each other, of course we’d want to. But I want to wait a little this time.”_ _

__Iris nodded._ _

__“A little is how long?” Iris asked him._ _

__“Let’s wait and see.”_ _

__Iris nodded contemplatively. She was processing it._ _

__Then after a moment, she replied,_ _

__“Okay. I can wait.” She told him with a smirk._ _

__Barry grinned and leaned in to kiss her but she moved her head back just as he was reaching her lips._ _

__“Woah there Barry, I thought we’re waiting.” She said her hands on his chest, laughing and then she winked before entering her home and closing the door._ _

__Barry sighed again but he still smiled uncontrollably. He stood at her door hoping she would open it and kiss him, but she actually didn’t. After waiting a while he turned around and started walking off, ready to leave, but then her door flung open. Barry turned around again and their lips crashed together. After a proper goodbye kiss, Iris entered her home again._ _

__This time Barry grinned as he practically skipped out of her driveway and got in his car._ _

__***_ _

_Two years later_

__**Iris + Third Pov** _ _

__Iris got back home from the studio where she was just messing around with some samples, to the smell of chocolate chip cookies and the sounds of her Niece, Jai-Naeun, playing._ _

__“Do I hear Jai?!” Iris exclaimed using her niece’s nickname. Jai-Naeun ran over to her aunt as soon as she heard her voice and gave her a big hug, Iris picked her up and swung her around before settling her in her arms._ _

__“How’s my big girl?”_ _

__“Good. Mammi making cookies!” Jai said excitedly. Cookies were definitely her fave, and it helped that while Linda was still working full time and Wally was as well, that Francine could bring Jai-Naeun over to Iris’ place to play. It helped Jai to be somewhere other than home while her parents were busy, otherwise she’d keep asking where they were._ _

__It was an arrangement that Iris was excited to offer up, she loved her niece dearly since the day the precious girl showed up in the world. She remembered holding Jai, just a little baby, in her arms. She remembered crying and turning to Barry and seeing tears in his eyes too. In that moment, knew she wanted to have kids with him too._ _

__“Jai-Naeun Iris Park-West.” Francine called her full government name sternly._ _

__“Uh oh.” Jai said hiding in Iris’ arms._ _

__“I’m home, mom!” Iris called out._ _

__“Oh good, can you help me clean up Jai’s mess?” Iris walked in with Jai to the kitchen and tried not to laugh as she noticed that Jai had been playing with the dishwashing soap and may have gotten it all over a newly baked batching of cookies….and all over the floor._ _

__Iris set Jai down and gave her a stern look, but then the poor girl looked like she was about to cry._ _

__“Sowy, Auntie Iris. I put it on da cookies! It looks shiny.” She said. And well, she had Iris’ heart._ _

__“It’s okay Jai, why don’t you go play in the living room with Lacey?” Jai-Naeun liked the idea of that and ran off to find Iris’ dog._ _

__Francine put her hands on her hips._ _

__“She’s got to know when she did something wrong you know.” Francine said sighed as she tossed the batch and checked on the other one in the oven._ _

__“I go to the bathroom for five minutes and she’s playing with the food, I told her not to come in here.” Francine mumbled and Iris got her mop and helped to clean up the spilt soap._ _

__“Sorry mom. You’re right. I will have a talk with her about listening. She kinda reminds me of…”_ _

__“You?” Francine asked, laughing._ _

__“Exactly. I remember you told me that I’d always play in places you restricted me from.”_ _

__“I can’t handle another Iris.” Francine joked._ _

__Iris laughed,_ _

__“Well, this time you have grown Iris to help guide the little one.”_ _

__The two women smiled at each other and then Iris gave her mother a hug._ _

__“By the way, funny, I heard from the grapevine that you have a date tomorrow night?” Iris asked her mom. Francine looked surprised._ _

__“Who- who told you that? A date at my age?”_ _

__“Oh come on mom. Why do you share everything with Linda, she’s like your favorite now.”_ _

__“I never told Lin- oh.”_ _

__“Oh, what?” Iris asked, her eyebrow-raising._ _

__“Oh, I think Linda overheard me on the phone when she was dropping off Jai on Monday. Oh no…”_ _

__“So, since she knows I want to know too.”_ _

__“Iris, he’s nobody. Just an old friend I’m catching up with.” But Francine said this with an embarrassed smile and Iris knew, her mother liked this man._ _

__“Okay, just remember to let me know how the date went!” Iris called as she put her mop back and went to join Jai in playing with Lacey her miniature schnauzer._ _

__***_ _

__Linda came a couple of hours later and picked up Jai and also gave Francine a ride. Iris told Linda about trying to pry information from her mother about the date and that it’s most likely that she is indeed going on one, but their conversation was cut short because Francine quickly joined them._ _

__After all the guests in her home left, Iris was left in the big house by herself. She didn’t like it. Barry would be back from Italy in about an hour or so, but she already told him not to bother coming over and that they’ll see each other during the weekend like they planned._ _

__Iris got in her pajamas, a long tee and got herself a glass of wine before settling on her couch to watch TV. She and Barry were in such a great place, Barry now was no longer ice skating with Annita, that ended a year ago when Annita and her new partner moved to California to become ice skaters there. Her new partner was already a successful ice skater in Los Angels and Annita wanted to try something new._ _

__Augustine also advised the move because apparently, it was a better experience overall there and of course, she would be more successful. Robert was the name of this new ice skater but that’s about all Iris knew. She met the guy once and he seemed like a decent person but he didn’t talk much. He was tall, fit, had brown hair and thick eyebrows with deep blue eyes. He looked…interesting was what Iris thought and he was very quiet. But he was an amazing skater apparently. He and Annita worked well together when it came to skating._ _

__Barry seemed to like him more than Nita did at first, though, Annita kept complaining that she hardly knew him because he rarely talked. He was originally from somewhere in Europe but his family moved to the U.S. when he was young. Iris and Nita still talked occasionally and the last time Iris checked in on her about it she said she was warming up to him. Iris hoped the best for them and their duo._ _

__She turned on the skating channel to check on them, watching one of their recent dances in a competition in Cali. They definitely had a lot of chemistry. More chemistry than when Nita was skating with Barry, and Iris couldn’t help but smile at that._ _

__After watching for a while and dozing off a couple of times she turned off her T.V. ready to get to bed._ _

__Then her phone rang and she picked up immediately after seeing who was calling._ _

__“Barr, hey?” She probably sounded a bit sleepy._ _

__“Iris sorry did I wake you?”_ _

__“No, no it’s okay. Have you arrived?”_ _

__“Yeah I’m heading over to your place right now.”_ _

__“Really?! Oh goodness, yes. I missed you so much.” Iris found herself saying._ _

__Barry chuckled on the other end._ _

__“I missed you too, let’s go to the cabin this weekend okay?”_ _

__Iris felt a stirring inside her, the cabin?_ _

__For their one year anniversary of being together again and dating Barry and her went to the cabin and it was such a beautiful and romantic experience. But they already passed their two year anniversary, that day they just stayed in and cooked together, danced and watched movies all night. It was amazing. This weekend though there wasn’t anything special going on? Or did she forget something?_ _

__“O-okay.” Iris replied._ _

__“We haven’t seen each other in a while. I want this to be special.”_ _

__“That’s true. I think this is the longest we’ve been apart in a long time. Which reminds me, how was your event in Italy?” Iris asked him._ _

__“Open the door and you’ll find out.”_ _

__Iris sat up from her resting position on her couch and quickly went to open her door. She lept into Barry’s arms and kissed him. He kissed her back sucking on her lips and making her moan as he walked them both into her apartment before closing the door behind himself._ _

__“Wanna know how my event was?” Barry asked breathlessly._ _

__Iris shook her head._ _

__“Not anymore, later, later.” She said and Barry grinned as the two of them started kissing again._ _

__***_ _

__Iris wrapped her arm around Barry’s waist and placed a gentle kiss on his chest._ _

__“Love you.” She murmured and Barry grinned at her and kissed her hair._ _

__“Love you.” He replied._ _

__“Now I wanna know how your event went.”_ _

__Barry laughed._ _

__“It was really fun planning this one. I was glad that it was both a fundraiser and an EDM concert. I got to meet some cool artists and in fact I think a few of them want to work with you.”_ _

__“Ooh, that’s cool. I’d love to work with someone who does EDM.”_ _

__“Yeah, it was pretty exciting. Italy also has some beautiful scenery. We gotta go there together sometime. Maybe one of your tours could be scheduled there.”_ _

__“I can’t believe I’m saying this but I am so happy my hiatus is almost over, I miss making songs.”_ _

__Barry turned to smile at Iris,_ _

__“I missed hearing your songs.”_ _

__“You say that but you get to hear me singing in the shower, people out there in the world haven’t heard anything new from me in six months.”_ _

__“You deserve the break though, enjoy it.” He told her, running his hands across her bare back. Iris nodded._ _

__“I guess so.”_ _

__“Every artist takes a break. Your dad would be so proud of all you accomplished, not singing for a while doesn’t mean you aren’t living up to his hopes or dreams for you.” Barry spoke to her heart._ _

__After all these years Iris shared so much with him it was like he knew all her fears and worries, as it should be. He knew she wanted to become the best artist she could be for her father. He knew how Scott brainwashed her into doing things in ways she didn’t want, into pushing herself into the wrong mentality - that she had to keep going and keep creating. All these things were slowly being erased from her, but it was still a journey. She was grateful she was open and honest with it all. Barry too shared his deepest insecurities and how his mother’s death had him paralyzed in taking major risks with his life, and after meeting Iris all that changed._ _

__“Thank you.” She told him looking up at the love of her life. Barry smiled softly at her and gave her a kiss._ _

__“So excited to see your dad this weekend. It’s been a while.” Iris said remembering what Barry said about going to the cabin._ _

__Barry nodded although something seemed amiss. He looked a little sad._ _

__“Everything okay?” She asked him._ _

__“Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine. He’s really excited to see you too,” He kissed her again. “Let’s get some sleep.” He said pulling her closer to him, she gladly drew closer to his side and closed her eyes._ _

__***_ _

_That weekend_

**Barry + Iris + Third Pov**

__Barry’s grip on the steering wheel was tight. His knuckles were bone white as he made a turn and then went on free road towards the cabin. He kept his eyes ahead and tried not to think too much._ _

__Iris was humming a lovely song and he just wanted to focus on that._ _

__“Babe, do you think your dad will like the new paintbrushes I got him? I know they’re a bit pricey, but he’s been using the same ones for years and I just figured he could try this one. They are made to be easier to use. I remember he said his hand had been hurting him from all the painting so I wanted to make sure -”_ _

__“Yeah, he’ll love it, Iris, thank you.” Barry told her, but he hated how it came out of his mouth, he sounded strained even to his own ears._ _

__“Okay, Barry what’s going on? You’re driving like we’re headed to a funeral and you won’t tell me anything about how your dad is actually doing and now I’m truly scared. Like I’m terrified, what on earth is going on?!”_ _

__Barry sighed and found a spot to pull over._ _

__“My dad can’t walk.”_ _

__Iris’ eyes widened at the revelation._ _

__“He can’t paint.” Barry continued._ _

__“He can barely feed himself or have the energy to talk at this point, he’s in pain.”_ _

__Iris felt tears in her eyes._ _

__“Oh Barry.” She whispered taking his hand in hers._ _

__Barry shook his head in disbelief his eyes filling with tears._ _

__“I wasn’t there for him all these years.” He broke, and Iris reached over and pulled him onto her chest and he cried here. She ran her hands through his hair carefully and softly kindly drawing circles behind his neck._ _

__“You were there Barry, don’t blame yourself.”_ _

__“I should’ve visited more.” He cried._ _

__“You visited every time you got the chance. You visited every single time. And you called, I remember you calling. I loved your chats with your dad. It’s not your fault Barry.”_ _

__“He said - he called me the other day and said that he doesn’t know how long he has left. That his body just gave way one day and he was on the floor writhing in pain. He told me the doctors said it’s severe osteoarthritis. He hasn’t been active all these years. All he does is paint and drink coffee and eat.”_ _

__“It’s not your fault,” Iris whispered to his ear as Barry let it all out. “We can help him Barr, we can help him. My mom’s a doctor she’ll help. He’ll walk. All he needs is to move more, slowly. We’ll help him.”_ _

__Barry stayed there wrapped in Iris’ arms for several minutes later before calming down fully and nodding._ _

__“You’re right.” He told her and she wiped the remaining tears off of him. “We can help him. We will help him.”_ _

__“I love you so much Iris, what would I do without you?”_ _

__Iris smiled at him tenderly and he leaned in and kissed her, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him back._ _

__“Let’s go say hi to your dad.” She told him and he nodded._ _

__***_ _

__They spent the weekend tending to his father, making sure he had everything he needed. Barry and Iris cooked and cleaned. It was hard for Iris to see Henry Allen the way he was, she couldn’t lie to herself, it was hard. He was in a wheelchair most of the time, and they had to help push him around. He could push himself but they could tell it was painful. Neither of them wanted Henry to take too many painkillers as he had been doing so they offered to do pretty much everything for him. They also stayed in a spare room in his cabin for each night tending and caring to everything he needed._ _

__When it was Monday afternoon though, Henry could tell the couple didn’t really want to leave him and he couldn’t have it._ _

__“You two can’t live here forever you know.” He said as the three of them were having lunch._ _

__“We’re not we just want to make sure you’re okay.” Barry said._ _

__“I’m fine. It’s just some pain and bad joints. I’ll survive.” Henry laughed, but then winced slightly as he did so._ _

__“That’s not funny dad.” Barry said, and Iris placed her hand over his._ _

__“We don’t mind staying and helping you out.” Iris grinned at Henry. Henry smiled at her._ _

__“And I appreciate it so much. But I really can’t ask you two to do that. I just need to practice getting up twice a day like the doctor said.”_ _

__“But, we saw you try yesterday -” Iris said._ _

__“I want to be left alone.” Henry said curtly._ _

__Barry stood up abruptly at that._ _

__“Dad, we’re here trying to help you. And this time I don’t want it to be like when mom died and you turned away from me. Now I’ve got someone with me, and we’re not going to leave you alone. So you can either accept our help or not but either way we’re not going back. At least not till you improve a bit. And then you’re going to get some help, in the city. No more running away dad.”_ _

__Henry was stunned at his son’s firmness. He didn’t say anything further._ _

__Iris looked at Barry with shining eyes, she was so proud of him. She took his hand in hers and squeezed._ _

__***_ _

_Middle of the following week_

__They made their own nearby cabin their second home for a bit. They had only prepared for a weekend, but it turned out they had left some clothes there from the last time and just decided to stay at the cabin till the end of the week at least, visiting Henry twice a day. Both hoping that Henry would change his mind about staying up there forever. He needed physical therapy and just to exercise more. The woods are dangerous and he wasn’t going to be able to keep himself warm in the winter. They hoped he would come back with them that weekend._ _

__Iris awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs and stirred comfortably in her bed. She slipped on her robe and walked to the communal area with the kitchenette. She wrapped her arms around Barry’s waist._ _

__“Morning, my love.” She murmured to his back._ _

__He turned around to face her and wrapped his arm around her waist._ _

__“Morning, my Iris.”_ _

__They kissed._ _

__“Mmm, I like that.”_ _

__Barry laughed._ _

__“Can you taste the bacon? I ate some.”_ _

__“No - I like what you said. I like being yours.”_ _

__Barry grinned at her, his hands travelled to her face, he gently caressed her cheek, fingers tracing her jaw._ _

__“I like being yours too.” He whispered. He placed a kiss on her forehead._ _

__“Let’s go ice skating today.” He said nonchalantly, with a smile._ _

__Iris looked at him with surprise._ _

__“Really? That’s random.” She said._ _

__“Not really. I’ve been wanting us to go ice skating.”_ _

__“I mean, we haven’t in ages. Not since before…”_ _

__“That’s why we need to. I got some new moves I gotta show you.” He told her with a smirk._ _

__Iris laughed._ _

__“You show me enough moves.” Iris grinned and winked before giving Barry a lingering kiss and walking off to the bedroom discarding her robe along the way._ _

__Barry turned off the stove and raced after her._ _

__***_ _

___On the ice outside the cabin_ _ _

__It was a good thing Barry had them keep a pair of skates at the cabin. The last time they were here Iris had Barry distracted so he couldn’t get them on the ice. But today, he had a different plan._ _

__Gently Barry led Iris onto the ice. They hadn’t been on together since before their break up._ _

__It’s been five years._ _

__Hand in hand Iris and Barry skated slowly around the ice._ _

__Iris smiled at how easily Barry skated them around and around._ _

__“Wanna do a spin?” He asked her._ _

__Iris smiled and nodded with shy smile._ _

__Suddenly, it felt like ice skating was this special thing between them._ _

__It meant something incredibly significant._ _

__Iris let go of his hand and gathered up the momentum and did an immaculate spin. Barry grinned at her._ _

__“Can you catch me?” She asked, and he nodded._ _

__She rushed towards him and leapt as he caught her in his arms and gently let her down to skate off again._ _

__She laughed,_ _

__“That was amazing!”_ _

__“I’m a former professional ice skater, what can I say?” He shrugged with a cheesy grin._ _

__Iris rolled her eyes but smiled._ _

__Barry did an immaculate spin of his own. And then another. He suddenly was skating really peculiarly, making marks in the ice as he skid left and right. Iris watched him mesmerized, wondering if this was a new skating piece he created just for her. When he stopped though, as he was breathing heavily he watched his skid marks, as if reading them, careful not to skate over them and then Iris was even further intrigued._ _

__Did he write something on the ice?_ _

__She started to follow the lines he made on the ice as he skated behind her without her even realizing it. She noticed that the first skid marks kind of connected to make a fairly clear “W” in the ice. She scrunched up her face in confusion as she found the next skid mark to be an “i” with a dot and everything from when he landed from a spin. Her heart started racing as she noticed an “l” and then another “l”, she quickly went to the next portion and visibly saw the markings of the word “you” and finally she ended up seeing next to each other the words “marry me” finished off with a question mark at the end._ _

__Iris could barely breathe. Her heart was racing incredibly fast and she turned to check with Barry if this was a joke when she saw him on bended knee holding up an opened ring box. Iris felt tears spring to her eyes instantly as she brought her hands to her open mouth with awe, wonder and excitement shining in her eyes all at the same time._ _

__Was this real? Was this real life?_ _

__“Barry.” Was all Iris could manage, her shock written all over her face._ _

__“Iris Ann West, daughter of the amazing Joe West. Will you marry me?”_ _

__Iris felt a tear spill over her eyes and down her cheek as she nodded vigorously._ _

__“Yes! Yes! Yes!” She said grinning as Barry stood up and they hugged._ _

__He kissed her cheeks, stopping her tears and then kissed her lips softly, gently, inviting and Iris just swam in the joy of the moment._ _

__“Barry! Where did you learn to do that?” She asked him in awe, still in his arms. Barry grinned._ _

__“One of the few tricks I picked up when practicing alone on the ice for hours.”_ _

__Iris looked up into the eyes of the man she loved._ _

__“Barry.” She said looking at him with everything the two of them had been through and everything they would face in the future, together._ _

__“We’re getting married.” She said._ _

__“We’re getting married.” He replied as a huge grin spreading across his face. He wiped another happy tear off her face._ _

__“We’re getting married!” They both said joyfully, laughing at the fact._ _

__They just stood there wrapped up in each others arms for a while, excited to live out their forever kind of love, together, forever._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh!! My feeels!! Writing this made me so happy and I may have screamed once or twice excited for Barry and Iris. Next chapter will be short and sweet. Thanks everyone for coming along this ride with me!


	4. Beyond

_She might just be my everything and beyond, beyond_  
Space and time in the afterlife  
Will she have my kids? Will she be my wife?  
She might just be my everything and beyond - Beyond, Leon Bridges

~~~

**Third Person** _Spring-time the following year_

Linda knocked a couple of times on the wooden door to Iris’ room. 

“Lin?” Iris asked. 

“Yep, it’s me don’t worry.” 

“Come on in!” Iris called, excited. 

Linda opened the door slowly and peaked her head in, she paused for a moment admiring Iris in her stunning white dress, where the top was tight and fitted and the bottom was a fluffy mass of lace and material, with some flowers embroidered on it. After taking a moment to be happy for her friend, Linda slipped inside. 

“Wow, Iris.” She uttered in awe. 

Iris turned from the mirror she was using to analyze her dress and grinned at her best friend. She gave her a strong embrace. 

“Your mom helped you get this on too?” Linda asked, 

Iris nodded. 

“I love it. I am _so_ sorry I couldn’t go dress shopping with you! But you and your mom picked well.”

“It’s okay, that’s what happens when my friend gets the chance to cover exclusive sporting events in Dubai.” Iris laughed. Linda grinned at her. 

“Barry is definitely going to cry.” She stated. 

The thought of Barry made Iris’ heart flutter. She’s going to be marrying her other best friend, the love of her life. The one she chooses to do forever with. 

“Wait, you’re here, does that mean that my flower girl has arrived too?!” Iris asked excited to see her niece. Wally, Linda and Jai were just back from their little vacation. They decided they needed it after getting so involved in their work that they didn’t get to have enough family time. But Iris knew that her brother and sister-in-law were working as hard as they were in order to build a good future for Jai, one where she could go to whichever University she wanted and be able to travel the world if she wanted to. They wanted to cultivate her talents. The little girl was already quite the artist. 

“Jai-Naeun is indeed here,” Linda smiled. “She’s getting ready with her Mammi and they’ll be joining us shortly.”

“How was the Park-West family break?” Iris asked genuinely. 

“Much needed and so good. Wally and I also got some much needed down-time. We’ve both been so busy we barely had time to see each other how much more go on ‘dates’. So there was a lot of smoochin’ - ” 

“Okay! That’s about all I need to know.” Iris interjected laughing. 

“And that’s basically my tip for you and Barry, make sure to find time to get away. Or time for family vacations when you have a little one. Make sure you take time to keep getting to know each other. Grow together.” 

Iris nodded soaking up the information. Truly she couldn’t see herself ever tiring of getting to know Barry Allen. He always had something up his sleeve, something romantic, sweet or special. But Iris knew that even if he didn’t, she would never stop seeing him in that way, the flames wouldn’t die for her, they would smolder sometimes, but be lit up again if she saw his smile, or saw him get excited over the little things he loved. Rambling about this scientific fact of the day or telling her about a new invention that she should get behind. Whatever it was, she was excited to experience that for the rest of her life. 

“Alright, Iris West…Allen? Are you ready to get married?” Linda asked with a grin.

“Never been more ready for anything.” Iris breathed. 

***

Barry Allen was attempting and failing to fix his tie. Cisco entered the room at that opportune moment and helped his friend. 

“Today’s the day.” Barry said grinning. 

“Yep. I always saw it coming with you two. I can’t believe you even bothered to hide it from me.”

“What about you man? How are things going with you - you know relationship wise?”

“Cynthia and I are going through our ups and downs. Caitlin and I have a close bond. It’s complicated.”

“Really hope you sort that one out. You deserve to be happy.”

Cisco grinned, 

“I am happy. I’m incredibly happy for you man, Iris is definitely the girl of your dreams. And I think you owe it to me, if I recall correctly you didn’t want to go to a certain nightclub that I had to trick you into going to?”

Barry laughed. 

“Thanks, and I do recall that, yes. Thank you Cisco. Thank you for forcing me out of my comfort zone even though when you did it before it always got me in trouble, but this time it helped me find the love of my life. So thanks.” Barry said. 

Cisco nodded in appreciation for the recognition. 

“Oh and I called the Therapeutic Movement Centre, your father is on his way.” Cisco said giving Barry a pat on his back. 

Barry smiled. 

“So he’ll make it on time?” 

“He will.” 

Barry nodded and released some of the nerves he had. 

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier.” He admitted. 

“That’s love. You two are like made for each other.” Cisco uttered. 

“I feel like I got really really lucky.”

The door creaked open but Barry and Cisco didn’t hear it, 

“Don’t say that, she’s lucky too.” Barry whipped around from where he was at the voice of Annita. 

“I just got here like twenty minutes ago, sorry I haven’t changed into my grooms-woman outfit yet but I am so stoked I got to break gender norms so thank you!”

Barry laughed and gave his friend a hug. 

“Iris wanted to ask you to be her bridesmaid as well but I beat her to it I guess.” Barry admitted and Annita laughed. 

“I feel like with all those years we spent getting to know each other it’s only right I get to stand by you while you get married.” 

“I appreciate it. How was the flight? Is Robert here too?”

“The flight was great. And he isn’t right now, he had family business to attend to, but he might make it for the reception later.” 

“Everything good?” Barry asked concerned. 

“Yeah, he’s just working out some stuff with his dad. It’s not what we need to be discussing on the happiest day of your life! You’re marrying the one who broke your heart.” Nita joked at the end. Barry shook his head at her. 

“Turns out she holds my heart too.”

Annita nodded and gave Barry another hug. 

“You two are going to make a beautiful life. I knew from the moment Iris came to my room and told me what she did, that she’s never going to stop loving you. And I mean that. There are couples who fall in and out of love, but your love, what the two of you have is deeper than that. It’s steady and consistent and I’m so happy for you two.”

Barry felt some tears welling up and he nodded his thanks. 

***

The tears that had been welling up in Barry’s eyes spilled down when, after a beautiful procession of their flower girl Jai decorating wild flowers on the green grass of the Central City mountain Forrest where he and Iris decided to get married, Iris walked down, barefoot towards him in a striking white dress that somehow exemplified her personality and her beauty. She looked regal, elegant, beyond beautiful, and everything he could’ve ever wanted. She wore a small veil but he could still see her face through the fabric. He felt the tears stream down his face. Live music was playing from some industry friends. Cool breeze passed through the guests, some of which were old high school friends of Barry and Cisco’s a few were Iris and Linda’s friends, but most importantly his father stood next to him. His wheelchair was off to the side for after the wedding, but he told Barry he wanted to stand for this. Barry was filled with a joy that caused more tears to slip from his eyes and drop to the grass. He nodded to Francine appreciation as she was walking Iris down the aisle to him. He took a deep breath. 

Iris took her steps carefully, her mother on her arm, walking towards the man of her dreams. She didn’t know it at first, but that’s who he was. Someone who would love her and cherish her, while letting her be free. She clutched onto her arrangement of wild flowers as she felt tears in her eyes. Barry was already crying, she could tell. She grinned at him and hoped he could see it through her veil. She wished her father could’ve walked her down the natural aisle, he would’ve loved knowing she was marrying a guy like Barry. However, as the wind passed through her she felt a peace knowing that he would’ve loved Barry and therefore he was with her, all the things he’s told her she deserved, all the times he told her to be careful who she spends the rest of her life with. And she turned to her mother and gave her a huge grin. Francine returned it. 

“I did it, dad. I picked him.” She breathed as she took a couple more steps to face Barry. Francine released her and went and took a seat. 

Barry and Iris stood across from each other, the intensity in their eyes setting flames in their hearts. They smiled at each other. Barry tenderly removed the veil. 

They both took a breath. 

Barry’s father was leading their vows. 

They both looked at his dad, Henry himself had tears in his eyes. 

“We are gathered here today to join Barry and Iris in holy matrimony. We all, at least if we’ve been within a ten foot radius of these two know how much they love each other. I remember when Barry introduced Iris to me, I just knew. I knew she was going to be family,”

Iris grinned. 

“The two of them also have the biggest hearts. They have such big hearts for people and they helped me to get out of a shell I put myself in, because of loss. These two I hope and pray will not experience that loss, but what I know is the love I had was worth everything. And the two of you I believe have that same love. May you continue to cherish each other for your lifetimes. Now, I welcome the exchanging of vows.”

“Thank you, dad.” Barry said to his father with deep appreciation and Henry nodded. 

Barry then turned to Iris.

“There are no words I can say that could ever describe how much I love you, Iris. When I saw you that night, you looked like a star standing on that stage, regal, you reminded me of a queen. When I saw you something in me said _her_ , you showed me more of your soul with your voice and presence that night than anyone showed me before. You were yourself, authentic, and passionate - and those are a few of the things that I love about you. But, that wasn’t the night I fell in love with you. I fell in love with you through the course of us getting to know each other as people and when I got to see how much singing meant to you, not just because you love to sing but because of your dad. I got to understand how much family means to you, and how deeply you care about people. You even cared about people who have broken your trust, you stayed by people who misused you. You love so deeply Iris and I love that about you. I remember saying once that I don’t know when I fell for you because we were falling so fast, but actually there was one night that changed my life forever. That was the night we first went ice skating and you spun. It was the night that I realized some things and some people are worth the risk. It was that night I let go of hiding away and decided that I would take a leap, it was that night that confirmed no matter how long it would take, no matter how much we would have to go through, that I would one day get to marry you and then spend the rest of our lives loving you the way that _you_ love people. With everything inside of me I am ready to spend the rest of my life, cherishing you, caring for you, listening to you, sleeping with you, laughing with you, raising children and building a home with you - and doing anything and everything you’ve dreamed of with you. Thank you for marrying me and being my dream come true.” 

Iris felt tears well up in her eyes as Barry said all of this and she reached out and grabbed his hand at the end and squeezed. It was her turn now. She took a steadying breath and started,

“I had not known what it was like to be loved before meeting you, Bartholomew. I had not known the importance of choosing who it was you wanted to be with for the rest of your life, or what it meant to be happy to see someone every-time you see them, or how it felt to be in the same room with someone who holds your entire heart and know that they feel the same way about you. I had never experienced anything like that until you, Barry. I remember having some talks with my dad about the future and he always told me I shouldn’t settle for less than everything. That the person I choose should make me feel like I was their everything. And you make me feel that Barry. I couldn’t be happier to be yours. I have been through a torn up version of love, a manipulative version of what is meant to be pure and sweet and I thank you for carrying me through that. Thank you for being my friend, for letting me cry on your shoulders, for allowing me to buy ice cream and eat brownies with you. Thank you for chasing me down and allowing me into your world and showing me that life can be so beautiful and bright if you let it. Thank you for helping me realize that I want to love you, the same way, every single day of our lives. Barry, I am excited to continue to grow with you, to continue to explore the world with you, to spend mornings chatting about our days and evenings chatting about our future. I want to be able to wake up next to you everyday for the rest of our lives and sing to you and dance with you, build a family and do life with you. I am yours, Barry. I am your Iris and I always will be.”

Henry wiped away a tear at that and then proceeded to ask for the rings to be handed. Wally brought the rings and they exchanged them. 

“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you under God and law, HUSBAND AND WIFE! You may now kiss the bride.”

Everyone cheered as Barry and Iris kissed a passionate and sweet kiss in which Barry dipped Iris a bit as well. 

After that they both walked down the fresh and natural aisle while everyone threw rice and flowers at them. 

They were now husband and wife.

***

_Quiet moments before the reception_

Iris grinned at him. _Her husband._

Barry leaned in to kiss to his wife. _His wife._ Barry brushed some hair away from her face gently. He was the happiest he’s been in this moment. 

“Are you ready for forever with me?” Iris asked him softly. 

Barry chuckled. 

“I’ve been ready for a long, long time.” Then after a pause, 

“Are you?” He asked her, his eyes twinkling, a confident smile on his face. 

He was sure she’s never looked more beautiful than in this moment, her light inside radiating out. 

He kissed her softly. 

“Yeah, I am. I really am.” Iris smiled back at him, her heart full.

_This work was written by Lspark_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. My first finished work. I thought that it would be His First Everything (but I guess that'll be next maybe?). 
> 
> I am so so so grateful to everyone who has supported this story with a kudos and everyone who has commented and let me know what they thought, what they were feeling and how the story impacted them. That's a big part of why I write. I have a lot of stories within me to tell and I love sharing them with ya'll knowing that you are enjoying reading them and experiencing the things that I experience as I write as well. It's been quite the journey for me in life, in writing, in completing my Bachelor's in a lot of things, but I'm just so grateful to have a place where I can share characters and moments with everyone as well as add to the beautiful story of Barry and Iris. 
> 
> This story was a thrill and fun to write and I do give shout-outs to my day ones (you know who you are!) for always commenting encouraging things and reminding me to update (lol)! I love this Barry and Iris so much and I also love my original characters a whole lot too!**
> 
> Just a little tidbit on people/things I didn't touch on before ending. Like....Scott lol. In my story world Scott actually ended up marrying Tina and raising their kid together. He eventually apologises to Iris for everything he put her through and is the one to write the article on Iris the world-class singer and Barry the event planner and scientist*** getting married. 
> 
> ** So, about my original characters, in this story I pretty much only had one main one who joined us later on when Barry did his little ice skating gig. Annita was a joy to write and create and characterize and **I actually grew to love her as a character so much that I am planning a SPIN-OFF with Annita as the main character!!!** If anyone would read that/is excited about that possibility please do let me know in the comments so I can gauge if/how I should do it. (And hint Robert will be in Annita's story as well as flashbacks to her growing up and how she became an ice skater). 
> 
> *** Barry ended up becoming a very famous and successful event planner but also a researcher! He got a PhD down the line and ended up also becoming a scientist. So, ole boy definitely did not stay in no boxes haha, he basically had several careers and Iris cheered him on throughout. 
> 
> And finally, Iris in this story's world is on the same star rating as some of our most popular singers of this time, but the same music quality as some of our lesser known singers of this time. Speaking of singers oh my goodness so many songs inspired this story!! Shout out to the singers, songs and musicians that made up this story!! 
> 
> To name a few: Mahalia, 6lack, NAO, Alessia Cara, Sza, H.E.R., Jhene Aiko, Leon Bridges, NEEDTOBREATHE and so much more!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this ride as much as I did. **I will be updating The Specialist next. :)**


End file.
